Fishing the NW angle?

[cbrooks]

I'm making plans to go to the angle for a week. My question is when is the best time to go this summer. What type of structures should I fish(I never fished a sheild lake before only Minnesota lakes is there a difference). What fishing lures should I bring ,trying to limit myself to one tackle box. How is navagation on this lake. I have a lakemaster chip thats updated. I'm a little worried about hitting some rocks any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Scoot]

cbrooks, if you do some digging there's tons of info available on that area. Past posts on this site will give you a huge head start.

A couple things you should do- 1) read Muskies on the Shield, 2) make dang sure the chip you have is the right chip and has the area of the lake you're going to be on, 3) have decent paper maps of the lake and use them religiously (don't just rely on electronics), 4) unless you are totally sure of where you are and that you are clear of danger, drive very slowly, 5) re-read Muskies on the Shield.

As the saying goes- there are two types of people up there, those who have hit rocks and those who will hit rocks (both my dad and RK have said this many times and it's true). If you are very careful, have someone reading the map all the time and some one on the electronics all the time, and pay attention all the time, you'll be fine. I'm not trying to scare you here- tons of people fish up there with no problem. However, there are a lot of people up there who aren't nearly as careful as they should be.

As far as when to go- unless you want to do a troll-o-rama (October), mid-July is tough to beat. Once you get into August the algae bloom can make things tough. Early (late June) can be tough up there too (but can also be good). The earlier you are up there, the more likely you will be in cabbage. The later you are there, the more likely you'll be on rocks. In between will more than likely be a [PoorWordUsage]-shoot: sometimes in the weeds, sometimes in the combo of both weeks and rocks, and sometimes on the rocks. This can vary day to day and even within a day.

I can fish up there for a week with two Rad Dogs, an unweighted Suick, a tailspinning topwater, a small bucktail and a big bucktail. Seriously, that's all I'd need.

Good luck!

[cbrooks]

Thanks for the info. Muskies on the sheild is that something that Richard Pearson wrote? I will look for that book. I'm a little nervous on traveling around that lake so I appreciate the honesty. Thanks again.

[Scoot]

Yep, that's the one. Some guy with the initials RK also edited it. It's worth its weight in gold for fishing up there. He really gave too much away in that book!

[cbrooks]

Tried ordering right after I read your post. It a tough to find in stock right now. I was able to order some of those maps you mention. I'm just getting psyche about the angle and its only Feburuary.

[scsavre]

Brooks, you will be fine up there. Obviously keep track of where you are and slow it down if it gets tight. the maps are marked pretty good for avoiding rocks and reefs. Be very careful if you go out at night, obviously. Late July, as said is a great time. Ask the resort owners etc. when you get there. they will be more than happy to give you tips on what and where to go. i would think you should be able to find some fish in a weeks time up there.

We always did real well casting right up to shore with suicks, smaller bucktails, and shallow raider types.

[Scoot]

...tough to find in stock right now...

I'll probably be in EGF this coming weekend. If you want, I can lend you my copy for a month or so. LMK if you're interested- I could just let you know when I'll be in town and meet you at Cabelas, if that works for you.

[cbrooks]

Wow scoot thats nice of you. I probably should just buy one I wouldn't want to lose your copy. Thanks for the offer that was really thoughtful. I'll find one somewhere.

[Cooter]

Just a little tidbit, I went up there in beginning of August and struggled with the algae bloom. Thats my excuse anyways

[TSchultz]

If you ordered the fishing hotspots maps send them back. They are no where near as good as the Canadian Hydrographic ones.

[cbrooks]

I did order the Canadian hydrograhic ones. So I should be in good shape for getting around. At least I hope so:)

[Sam Sterner]

Article in this months Musky Hunter is about fishing in September and has some tips from Bill Sandy, might be worth looking at, sounds like the time is underrated.

[brmuskie]

Don't move your boat with the big motor, EVER, without first looking at the map.

Don't worry, you will find fish. There are too many fish there for you to not accidentally find some.

My first trip there, we asked a friend of ours to mark a map for us and I think we saw fish on the first 10 or so spots that he marked on our map. The marks are on pretty obvious fish spots, islands, reefs, complex structure, and weed beds.

[Musky Buck]

It's the beginning of the best time I think Sam on any muskie lake, the guides and film crews must get really giddy once labor day is gone and school is in session as well as goose hunting is open with bow around the corner. The lakes become much quieter.